The Australian government on Tuesday announced plans to phase out incandescent light bulbs and replace them with more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs across the country.

Prime Minister John Howard said the plan would help all Australians play a part in cutting harmful gas emissions: "Here's something practical that everybody will participate in."

Ok, I'm glad to see people adopting CF, but this article doesn't once mention mercury. All CF's have mercury, and depending on where you live, it can be a crime to throw one away in the trash. You must have a comprehensive recycling system for CF to make this doable and I am very concerned that there is no mention of one.

In the US, environmental organizations are focusing on making CFs more like car batteries: Every place that sells one will take them and recycle them, and the recycling cost is built into the price of the bulb.

Cuba's Fidel Castro launched a similar program two years ago, sending youth brigades into homes and switching out regular bulbs for energy-saving ones to help battle electrical blackouts around the island.

For some reason, this invokes a mental image of an army of children, wearing arm bands, doing their part for the fatherland! And for some reason, that makes me laugh.